Uber allegedly used secret program to undermine rival Lyft

A secret Uber program internally dubbed “Hell” allegedly spied on arch-rival Lyft to determine which drivers were working double shifts for both companies, letting the cab-hire app steer more work towards them in an attempt to deprive its competitor of workers.The report of the “Hell” program ...

.... It also defended its relationships with insurers. The site faces allegations that it has done deals with insurers that prevent them from making cheaper offers on other websites – known in the trade as most favoured nation clauses. ...

....The US Department of Commerce is expected to announce its decision on Tuesday, after American firm Boeing alleged in April that Bombardier received unfair state subsidies from Canada and the UK, allowing it to sell its C-series passenger jets at below cost in the US. Bombardier has rejected the allegations. ...

.... A month before, a number of staff were sacked after a company investigation into sexual harassment and bullying. In the UK there were concerns that the company had failed to report assault allegations against its drivers to police. ...

....TfL is adamant that the licence decision is not about Uber’s technology, despite past courtroom tussles over the app’s workings. Instead, the issues are Uber’s conduct and approach – noises that chime with global concerns right up to its Silicon Valley head office, where allegations of a culture of sexism and bullying led to co-founder Travis Kalanick stepping down as chief executive. ...

....Shocked domestic staff at Bettencourt’s mansion west of Paris whispered how the flamboyant Banier would pee in the flowerbeds, lie on Bettencourt’s bed with his shoes on and make requests for money. Banier denied the allegations, but it was just the start of a multi-layered legal inquiry that became the nation’s soap opera. ...